


The Slit Mouth Woman

by soulmetalfairy



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Dean Winchester Takes Care of Sam Winchester, Dean is Not Amused, Dean is a Bad Influence, Flashbacks, Gen, Hunt Gone Wrong, Hurt Sam Winchester, Protective Dean Winchester, Revenge, Sam Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Sam is Missing, Sam is the Voice of Reason, Sam-Centric, Urban Legends, Winchester Feels, Worried Dean
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-20
Updated: 2017-02-26
Packaged: 2018-09-25 08:32:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9811412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soulmetalfairy/pseuds/soulmetalfairy
Summary: Something's been killing people along the west coast for the last week. Something that Sam can remember from his time back at Stanford. Something that has at times haunted him more than his memories of being in the cage. Can the brothers stop the creature before it has the chance to kill anymore people, or worse, themselves?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> All the info on the lore about the slit mouth woman can be found online. None of the characters are mine except for two that will be introduced later. I hope that you enjoy this story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> None of the characters are mine, and you can find all the lore from the story online. If you like the story please leave a comment or a kudos. Enjoy.

'' Whoa..... This sounds interesting.'' Dean mumbled.

'' What?'' Sam looked up from where he was bent over a book on demonology, finding Dean sitting across the table with his laptop out. Even with the extensive library's of the men of letters bunker, Dean still preferred online research from time to time. Sam didn't get it, but then again it was his brother they were talking about. They hadn't had a good hunt in awhile, so he'd been looking for one. That's when he stumbled across something that sounded pretty ghost like. Something that was also rather disturbing in nature, and could also just be a sicko running up the west coast. '' What did you find?'' Sam asked.

'' There's a string of strange deaths going up the west coast, and it looks like there was a knew new one just last night.'' Dean said.

'' What happened?'' Sam asked, closing the book to walk around his brother. He was a little curious about what was on that screen, given that it was rather close to a place he'd been in for four years of his life.

'' Take a look for yourself.'' Dean said, sliding the laptop over when Sam was standing at his side. Sam bent down to read the article, but he froze about halfway through it. He'd seen this once before. He recognized this.

_No, not again._

The report said that in the last week four people had been killed, a fifth added just last night. All of them had been killed in similar ways, with a similar weapon. Two of them were killed from being stabbed to death, one of them had literally been cut in half, while the last two had a permanent smile carved onto their faces. Sam stepped back from the computer, running a hand down his face. It was happening again, just like before. God, it couldn't be happening again. Why was this happening again?

'' I don't think its to much to worry about. There's probably a sicko running up and down the west coast cutting these people up. It could be nothing.'' Dean mumbled.

'' Dean, its not a person.'' Sam said.

'' Sam, this doesn't sound like any monster that we've found before. It's probably nothing.'' Dean said.

'' It's not nothing Dean.'' Sam said, looking directly at his brother. '' It's not a person, I know what that thing is....... I've seen it before.'' Sam explained. Dean looked up at him, finding that there was worry written across Sam's face. '' This thing isn't something that should be messed with.'' Sam stated.

'' What is it then Sam?'' Dean asked. Sam fell back in one of the chairs around the table, one of his hands gripping the armrest.

'' I think its the Kuchisake Onna.'' Sam whispered.

'' The what?'' Dean asked for clarification.

'' The Kuchisake Onna, better known as the slit mouth woman.'' Sam said.'' She's very dangerous, and anyone she runs into will usually end up dead or permanently scarred.'' Sam ran another hand down his face, a shiver running up his spine at the thought of what this thing could do.

_This can't be happening again._

'' Sammy, how do you know about this?'' Dean asked. Sam didn't answer him, his eyes staring off into space. Worry crawled its way up inside of him as he watched Sam. '' Sam, answer me.'' Sam jumped in the chair, is face with terror written across it. '' Sammy?''

'' I.... I've seen this before.'' Sam mumbled. '' When I was still at Stanford. I encountered it with two friends I made there..... Dean, we can't let this thing keep killing people. We've got to go stop it, because this thing won't stop ever.'' Sam said, quickly changing the subject. He couldn't remember that now. Sometimes the memories of that night haunted him worse than his memories of hell. Just the thought of it back when it had happened had caused him to spiral downward into panic. It had been years since he last thought of it, the last time being shortly before Dean had taken his four month/40 year jump in hell. The images made him freeze up as they jumped in front of his eyes, his hands gripping the armrests of the chair tight enough to make his knuckles pop.

_This can't be happening again._

'' Sam..... Sammy.'' Dean had moved from his spot, now standing in front of him. Sam hadn't even seen him move. '' Hey, what ever it is that happened you've got to push back. Don't think about it. If this thing is the same thing then we'll go take care of it like every other damn thing that we kill on a daily basis. We can kill it, OK.'' Sam shook his head at what Dean was telling him, his hands slowly loosing their grip on the chair as he sat back in the chair. He took a calming breath, his eyes sliding shut as he looked down to avoid Dean's gaze.

'' Right... You're right.'' Sam mumbled to himself, running a hand down his face for the third time in the last five minutes. Dean took a step back from him, but stayed close to his brother in case what ever had just happened occurred again. _What the hell is going on here?_ Dean asked himself.

'' Sam, what the hell happened to you while you were at Stanford?'' Dean asked, curiosity biting at his mind. He couldn't remember hearing anything like this coming from California while his brother was away. If he had then he would've raced their against his dads wishes to make sure that Sam was OK. He'd done that a few times, the very last being when he'd asked for Sam's help to find their dad. He blamed himself for what came after that, and he could never thing of anything to say that it wasn't.

'' I don't want to talk about it.'' Sam said, his voice barely above a whisper. Sam seemed to curl in on himself at the question, shutting down from the memories. Maybe he should take care of this on his own. However, Sam really seemed to be worried about this entire situation, and if he was familiar with what it was then maybe he would be able to help get rid of this thing. But with the way he was acting now, maybe that wasn't such a good idea.

'' I've never heard of something like this happening from that time Sammy. What the hell happened?'' Dean pressed. Sam curled in on himself more, his eyes directed to the floor. He was very set on not looking up at him, or answering his question. Dean finally caved at that, falling back into his own chair. '' Alright then Sammy, I won't make you tell me now, but you'll have to tell me at some point.''

'' I will, but not now.... I just can't.'' Sam said, looking up to him. His face was pale, and he didn't look well. Dean was going to regret this later, but he had to do it.

'' Alright then. What do you say that we hit the road and get over their.'' Dean said, pointing towards the bedrooms where their to go bags were waiting. Sam only nodded, slowly standing from the chair to walk to his room. Dean watched as his brother went, noticing how he seemed to wobble slightly as he went. He hoped that Sam would be OK. He was really shaken up by the thought of this thing. This Kuchisake Onna, just what had it done to his little brother?

 

\---

 

Sam stumbled into his room, and almost slammed the door to his room as he pressed his back against it. His heart was racing as he slid to the floor. This couldn't be happening again. He'd been sure that this thing was gone, he'd made sure of it himself after what it had done to his friends. How could it be back?

'' Come on Sam, get ahold of yourself.'' Sam mumbled to himself. His breathing began to pick up, and he quietly pulled his knees close to his chest as he rested his head on them. Why was this happening? It couldn't just stay gone could it? Sam pulled his head off his knees, letting it bang off the door as he took a look at his room. He tried to be rational with himself about the entire thing, but it was rather hard when he knew exactly what this thing could do to a person. He still couldn't believe that it had ever come about partially because of his stupidity. It was partially his fault that all those years ago his friends had found the text book he'd bought only for what was inside of it. Now he was paying for his mistake, the same mistake he thought he'd finally stopped.

Sam stayed on the floor for awhile, steadying his breathing as best he could. He had it mostly under control by the time he heard a hard knock on his door.

'' Hey, you still in there Sammy. I'm ready to go, are you?'' Dean asked, his voice muffled from the door. Sam stood from the floor, his hind still trapped in the memory of what had happened. He quietly grabbed his bag off the floor, knowing that it was already packed. They always made sure to be ready to leave at a short notice. '' Sammy?''

'' I'm ready.'' Sam answered. He opened the door to his room, stepping past Dean to start down to where the impala was in the garage. Dean watched his brother as he walked, worry still gnawing at his stomach.

There was something that Sam wasn't telling him. He was hiding something, but he didn't know what. What ever it was was bad enough to cause him to freak out in a way that he hadn't seen in years. Dean hoped that what ever this thing was Sam could handle. It was starting to look like it wasn't a good idea at all to bring him along. Sam was forcing himself through what ever was scaring him to help those people, and Dean would honor that. However, if this went south at all he was pulling Sam out. He didn't need his brother shutting down on him, not with what's been happening around them now. Dean watched as Sam disappeared around the corner, then quietly followed along.

'' You better tell me what this is about some time soon Sammy.'' Dean whispered to himself, spinning the impala keys on his fingers. He caught up to Sam when they reached the car, and he quickly unlocked everything for them before hopping in the drivers seat to start the car up. Sam fell into the passenger seat after opening the garages door, shutting his door quickly. '' Let's hit the road.'' Dean said.

'' Right.'' Sam mumbled. Dean was a little worried about Sam's response as he pulled out of the garage and out onto the open road.

Their next destination, California.


	2. Chapter 2

It had taken a long drive to get to the most recent death in California. Thankfully, the town where it had taken place was rather small, which meant not to many prying eyes about them. That at least was in their favor for this hunt.

Dean had found a motel within the first ten minutes of their being in town, and had gotten a room as far from the front desk as he could. They were unloaded from the trip in under five minutes, and then both brother were kicked back in the motel.

'' Alright Sammy, I say we get some sleep now, and go check out the vic in the morning.'' Dean said, throwing a glance over to Sam.

'' Right.'' Sam said, looking back towards Dean with a blank expression on his face. It was still bothering him, but it clearly wasn't as bad as it had been back at the bunker. He just hoped that it wasn't as obvious as he thought it was. Sadly, to Dean, it was obvious.

Dean could see it written across his face. Sam was worried, scared, probably terrified. He shouldn't have brought him, but he'd insisted on going along. Dean would keep an eye on him during this hunt. If anything looked like it was taking a turn then he was stepping in to stop it.

'' Get some sleep. I'm grabbing a shower.'' Dean said, grabbing a change of clothes out of his bag. He walked into the bathroom, leaving Sam alone in the motel room. Sam didn't lay back until he heard the shower turn on. When he did, he didn't even bother to change. He just fell back against the blankets and pillows, and fell asleep there.

 

\---

 

'' Here you are agents.'' The trundle bed for the morgue freezers rolled out on a rickety set up. The covered body bounced slightly from the movement when it stopped abruptly. There was blood soaked into the cloth in a few spots, one in particular being at the head where the man's mouth may have been. Sam and Dean stood on either side of the bed, eyeing the man who had opened it for them. '' This is the first victim. Thomas James, age 34, died of severe trauma to his abdomen and blood loss.'' The man said. He extended a chart to Dean, who took it without a question.

'' Thank you.'' Dean mumbled, reading over what the chart said.

'' Alright, I'll leave you to it then.'' He said. The man turned away, and walked out the door. Dean waited until he was sure no one was coming around before turning to Sam. The poor kid looked like hell still. He had barely slept last night.

Sam had been up and out the entire night with nightmares. Of what they were about he wouldn't say. All Dean ever heard him say aside from screaming was a name. The name was unfamiliar to him, but probably had some meaning to Sam. He'd said Garret. Who this Garret was, he had no clue. He'd have to get him to tell him later, but now they had to focus on seeing just what this thing could do to a man.

'' So far only men have been killed by this thing. no woman.'' Dean said.

'' I know. Five of them, and here's victim number one.'' Sam reached out to grip the cloth in one hand, but Dean stopped him with a quick swat of his hand. Sam watched him in confusion, pulling his hand away from the cloth. '' What is it?''

'' Let me.'' Dean said. '' You saw enough crap in your sleep last night.'' he stated. Sam didn't argue about it, knowing that Dean was right. All night, every time he managed to fall asleep, he dreamed of that night. The night that had almost killed him, and had taken his friend. Sam stepped back from the table, giving Dean some room to pull the cloth back. He made quick work of it, and was taken aback by the sight underneath.

'' Whoa.... Not what I was expecting.'' Dean mumbled, taking in the sight before him.

The mans body was basically mutilated. His stomach was literally torn open by what had to have been a knife. Blood, muscle, and even what looked like a shredded organ rested not only in the still exposed cavity but on the skin. It made his stomach churn, but not as much as the sadistic smile that was carved into the mans mouth. From ear to ear stretched a knife wound that resembled a crudely cut smile. At first Dean didn't think it went through the skin, and he went to turn the head to get a better look. The movement revealed that the wound went straight through the cheek, and his jaw popped open at a sickening angle. Dean jumped back at the sight of it, a yelp of surprise escaping his lips.

At first Sam couldn't help a laugh at his brother flailing to get away from the corpse. That smile fell away to a look of horror when his eyes found the body before them. Sam froze at the sight of it, the jaw flopped open, the blood, his stomach torn open. He took a small step back, the man's face suddenly making very uneasy.

'' Sammy? You alright?'' Dean asked, watching his brother. His eyes followed Sam's gaze to the mans face, then back to Sam's. '' Sam?'' Something was wrong. Dean could feel it, but he couldn't tell what.

'' It's nothing.'' Sam said. '' I'm fine.'' He took a step towards the table again, walking around to get a better look at the mans face. He quickly regretted it. The face that had been there was replaced by someone else's face. A face that he'd seen that night become this mutilated.

_Garret._

Sam took a deep breath, the images from that night flashing across his eyes. He stumbled back for a second, his legs beginning to feel like jelly.

'' Sam, hey, you should sit down.'' Dean started to walk over to Sam, watching as his brothers eyes shot back open from when they'd slid closed. They found the face of the dead man, and then they seemed to change.

The face was still Garrets, even though Sam knew that Garret couldn't possibly be here in the first place. He took another step back, his eyes finding the dead mans face. The face seemed to move to his eyes, even though he never moved at all. Sam heard someone shout his name, but when he tried to respond all he got out was a low whisper that didn't even sound like words. His vision dipped dangerously as Sam felt his legs give way under him. He couldn't be certain, but he could swear that he heard Dean shout his name before his head made contact with the floor. He was out like a light.

 

\---

 

_( Ten years prior)_

_'' Ohhhh, looky what little Sammy brought to class today.''_

_Sam looked up from his book to see a familiar face only for said book to be snatched away from him a second later._

_'' Hey, give that back.'' Sam said, reaching for the book. The other person refused to do so, flipping through the pages like he was actually reading it._

_'' We're just curious as to what is actually being fed into that brain of yours college boy.'' The second kid said, flashing Sam a friendly smile._

_'' Very funny Tylor, now tell Garret to give the book back.'' Sam said, pointing towards Garret. He was holding the book open in one hand while he thumbed through it with the other._

_'' I thought you were going into law? Why do you even have this Theology textbook?'' Garret asked, finally closing the book. He held it out to Sam, who swiped it away. He had his own reasons behind it. Reasons that were only for something that he'd been called about. Technically, he wasn't even supposed to have this still. This was supposed to be shipping out to the other coastline._

_True, he had given up the hunter life, but Dean had called saying he needed some help. He had some spare money, so he bought the book to send out to him. Now if he could just get it sent this would be over with._

_'' I have my own reasons behind it.'' Sam said. '' It's more of a favor for an old friend.''_

_'' And does this friend have a name?'' Tylor asked._

_'' He does, its called kiss my ass.'' Sam said, shooting a grin towards the two. They both returned the look as Sam felt an arm wrap around his waist._

_'' Now, what are these boys doing to you now?'' A female voice asked. Sam looked down and to the right, quickly spotting the blonde head of hair that belonged to his girlfriend Jessica.'' They picking on my little nerd?''_

_'' It's nothing.'' Sam said, pecking her on the lips. '' It's fine.''_

_'' It better be.'' The door opened to the classroom, and everyone quickly took a seat as the professor entered the room._

 

_\---_

 

'' Sam..... Hey, can you hear me?''

Sam groaned as his mind began to come back from his fall.

'' That was quite a fall he took.'' Another voice spoke up.

'' He got really squeamish when his jaw popped open like that. Guess he wasn't prepared for once.'' Dean's voice said, a lot calmer than it normally was when something like this happened. Sam let another groan out, his eyes scrunching up at he lifted one of his hands to his head. '' Sam, can you hear me?'' Sam rested his hand on his forehead, finding a wet cloth laid over it as his eyes finally cracked open. Everything was blurry at first, and he couldn't focus on it. It took a moment, but then his vision was clear, and he could see two people leaning over him. One of them was the man who had brought them back to the morgue freezers, while the other was clearly Dean.

'' Dean?'' Sam rasped out.

'' You feeling OK?'' Dean asked. '' You fell pretty hard.'' He explained. Sam pulled the cloth off his head, and began to push up off the floor. Dean kept a hand on his arm, making sure he was steady as he lifted himself to a sitting position.

'' What happened?'' Sam asked, looking over to Dean.

'' You passed out. When the guys jaw popped open you took one look and then you were on the floor.'' Dean said. '' You hit your head pretty hard.'' Dean mentioned. Sam lifted a hand to his head, and found the knot that was the size of a gold ball forming at the base of his head.

'' Damn.''

'' He going to be OK, because I have to get back to work now.'' The man said to Dean.

'' I've got it from here. Thanks.'' Dean said.

'' No problem.'' The man stood to leave, but then spun around when he reached the door. '' Just so you know, you're not the only one who was taken aback by the body. One of my collegues passed out during the autopsy to.'' That made Sam feel a little better about something stupid, but didn't help much. The man finally left, giving them some alone time. Dean looked directly to Sam, his face written with concern.

'' Sammy, what the hell happened back there. You went down like you had been smacked in the head or drugged.'' Dean demanded.

'' It felt like I was.'' Sam said. '' It felt like I was hit by a truck..... my memories.....'' Sam looked away from Dean, trying to avoid his gaze. He couldn't do this now, not after that.

'' Sam, no more secrets. What the hell happened to you?'' Dean demanded. Sam just looked up at Dean, his eyes screaming that he couldn't do that. '' Sam, I need to know what happened. What ever it was  traumatizing enough to make you pass out at the sight of something that barely fazed me, and shouldn't faze you. What happened?'' Dean asked. Sam looked away, running a hand down his face as a shaky sigh escaped.

'' I'll tell you, but only if we can get out of this place.'' Sam said, his eyes straying up to where the now closed morgue freezer rested. Dean quickly got the message, and helped to lift Sam off the floor.

'' Alright, alright. Let's go.'' Dean said. The left the morgue behind them, but the memory of what happened would never leave.


	3. Chapter 3

_Sam had finally managed to get the book sent off to his brother after almost a week of holding it for him. While he felt bad about it taking so long, he just couldn't get it sent any faster than that. Dean would just have to deal with it. At least in this case from what little he'd asked about it people weren't being killed._

_Sam had thought he was done with the book, thought he would never see it again, but that changed when he returned to the apartment that he shared with Jess. Jess was out for the evening, probably studying at the library which was common of her during the week. Sam decided to work on some homework on his laptop, but when he opened it up to get started he found a message bar open under his email. Confused as to who was emailing him, he quickly opened the tab. He found what looked like a picture of a book, with two or three pages torn out of the middle. Under the photo was a short message._

**_Sammy, what the hell did you send us? ..... D._ **

_He knew just by looking that the message was from Dean, and he was angry. That book was the same one that he had sent just a few days ago. At least he had gotten it, but it left him confused as to why there were pages missing. He was sure that the book was whole when he sent it, and he had made sure that no one had messed with the package by paying for express shipping. Sam sent a short message back to Dean._

_I don't know what happened. It wasn't like that when I sent it._

_Sam just watched the screen for a moment, deciding that his work could wait for later. Dean would get the message later. He could go check up on Jess at the library or something. So he stood from the chair he'd fallen back into, and left for the schools library._

_It was a five minute walk over to there, and another few minutes for him to track down Jess. When he found her she was hunched over a table that surprisingly had his friends Tylor and Garret there as well. She was watching something that they were pointing at on a laptop screen. She was clearly intrigued by what she saw, as were they. He took a step towards them, and caught their attention in an instant. Jess smiled at him, her hand waving him over._

_'' Good to see you came.'' Tylor said. '' She was tempted to call you so you could see what Garret made.''_

_'' What are you guys up to this time?'' Sam asked, walking behind the table to see what they were looking at._

_'' This is what we're up to.'' Garret turned the screen towards Sam to be able to see it.  He saw a bunch of text against a black background. There was a cartoon photo of a lady who looked like she'd been mutilated, which made Sam feel a little uneasy as he looked at it._

_'' What is this thing?'' Sam asked._

_'' It's an urban legend website. Tylor helped me to design it.'' Garret said._

_'' You guys actually believe in this stuff? You do know that this isn't real right?'' Sam said, knowing that what he was saying wasn't true at all._

_'' Yeah, but who says that we can't make one. People write books on this stuff, they can pull information from us. This is going to be soooo cool.'' Garret said._

_'' Don't you think its cool Sam?'' Jess asked, grabbing him by the arm._

_'' Yeah.'' Sam caught sight of one of the pictures on the screen. A picture that he realized was from the text book that he'd sent to Dean. There was another photo below it, and there was a name of the mutilated face on the photo._

**_The slit mouth woman._ **

_'' Yeah, its very cool.'' Sam mumbled._

_He got a sinking feeling in his stomach as he looked away from the disturbing photo._

_He may know what happened to those missing pages._

 

_\---_

 

 

The impala rumbled up to the motel doors as Dean parked in front of the room that they'd rented for the hunt. He hadn't even cut the engine off before Sam was climbing out of the car. By the time that Dean was even out of the car Sam as already opening the door to the room. He left it open for Dean as he disappeared inside.

'' Sammy.'' Dean quickly ran inside, watching Sam as he sat on the edge of his bed. He bent over himself, his hands clasped in his lap as he looked down to the floor. His knee was bouncing nervously, a soft thudding sound coming from his heel connecting with the floor. '' Sam, you need to tell me.'' Dean said settling on the edge of the bed beside Sam. '' What happened back at Stanford?'' Dean asked.

Sam looked up to him, hurt in his eyes as he tried to come up with the words to portray just what had happened that night that had a scarred him so badly. He looked back to the floor, clutching his hands tightly in his lap. When he did his knuckles popped.

'' It was about ten years ago now......''

 

\---

 

_'' Come on Sam. Don't be a party pooper. Just come on.'' Tylor said, leaning against the door frame._

_'' I can't guys. I've got stuff to do already. I can't just skip out on it.'' Sam insisted, lifting his head from the text book he was pouring over._

_'' Come on, it's just one little party. You've been to those before, its fun.'' Garret said. '' Jess said she was going to go.'' He added. Sam looked up from the book._

_'' Jess told me she had work.'' Sam said._

_'' She told us she was going over there after she got off.'' Garret said. ''  Now come on, what do you say we all head over there.'' He added. Sam contemplated it for a moment, and finally closed the book._

_'' Alright, alright. I'll go.'' Sam said, setting the textbook aside. He stood from the chair, and followed his friends to the door. '' But if you're lying to me I'm out.'' Sam told them._

_'' Fair enough.'' Tylor said. '' Now lets go.''_

_Sam followed his friends out of the apartment, trusting them to lead him to this so called party. They had already walked off campus, which was no surprise to Sam because a lot of what he knew was at party's wasn't allowed on the campus in the first place. They were walking to another set of apartment's across town, which would take a solid fifteen minutes of walking. Not that Sam minded the walk. He'd been used to walking long distances after hunting with his dad for as long as he had .Hiking in the woods was never an easy feet._

_The turned down onto a small street between two buildings that lead straight to an apartment building ahead._

_'' There it is.'' Garret said. '' Everybody should be inside. Lets go.''_

_'' You guys sure about this?'' Sam asked, looking over his shoulder. A chill had run up his spine, a feeling that he'd never grown out off. It was like a sixth sense for a hunter, a sense that told them they weren't alone anymore. '' It doesn't sound like there's a party from here.'' Sam mentioned._

_'' Oh, there is. You'll see.'' Garret said. '' Trust me.''_

_' OK then.'' Sam tried to forget the feeling, but it just wouldn't go away. He kept walking until he saw Tylor turn back to see him, and his face grew in horror. '' What?.... What is it?'' Sam asked. Tylor pointed to something behind him. He turned around to see what it was, and froze when he saw what looked like a short black haired lady walking towards him._

_The lady was wearing a bloodied surgical mask, and there was a bloody knife clutched in her hand. She stepped towards all of them, her head tilting as her hair shifted aside to reveal dark eyes. Sam felt either Tylor or Garret grab his arm, and begin to pull him back when the lady got close to him._

_'' Am I pretty?'' She asked them._

_'' Sam, lets go.'' Tylor said, yanking his arm back. Sam turned to leave, worry in the pit of his stomach as to what this thing could be. He was about to follow his friends, but a tight grip on his free arm held him in place. Sam was spun around by the lady, forcing him to face her. '' Sam!''_

_'' Am I pretty?'' She asked him again. She raised the knife to his face, pressing the blade against his cheek. Her grip on his arm tightened, and she pressed the knife against his skin hard enough to break skin._

_'' Yes... Y-you are beautiful.'' Sam answered. Her grip let up, allowing him to pull away. Sam was about to turn to run, but didn't have a chance before she was ripping off the surgical mask to reveal a gruesome sight. Her mouth had a smile carved into it, stretching from ear to ear in a bloody mess. Her mouth plopped open, and she repeated._

_'' Am I pretty?'' She asked again. Sam froze, taking a step back as she got an angry look on her face. She held up the knife, and spoke with venom._

_'' I see.''_

_She was on the small group in seconds._

_She reached Sam first, her blade swiping at his stomach as he tried to back away from her in time. The knife sliced into his side, and blood blossomed onto his clothes as he stumbled back. He felt pain course through his stomach, and he pressed a hand to his abdomen as he almost tumbled forward._

_'' Sam!'' He felt a hand on his arm, holding him upright as another voice shouted out. It belonged to Garret. Sam looked up to see if he was ok, and was met with a horror show._

_Garret was sprawled on his back, the lady standing over his body as she sliced into his stomach with her blade. His head fell to the side, and he whispered something to the two of them._

_'' Run..... now.'' His eyes fell shut, and then the girls eyes were on the two of them. He felt Tylor grab his arm again, and he was dragging him down the street towards the house. Sam tried to keep his footing, but quickly realized that it was impossible. The wound in his stomach was much worse than it originally felt. Sam ran as far as he could, but soon found his feet knocked out from under him. He fell to the ground, hitting hard and jarring the injury. His eyes glanced up to a pair of feet that ran past him, and he caught sight of Tylor turning back for him. Then Sam felt himself turned over, and the girl was on top of him. Her knife was held right above his stomach, and she plunged it inside. Sam cried out in pain, his vision blurring._

_There had to be something that would work on this bitch. Something that could get rid of her. Sam ran through the few exorcisms that he still remembered, and came across one he hoped would work if this was some demonic spirit. He began to chant the latin as best he could through lips that were coating themselves in blood. He felt the knife pull back as he continued, the last of the latin tripping off his tongue. He waited to see if it had worked or not, opening his eyes to see if it had. He hadn't even realized that they were closed. Sam saw her standing before him, the knife laying on the ground beside her as white wisps of light stretched up from the ground. They were wrapping around her body, pulling her into the ground._

_The girl looked up at him, her face one of pure anger and hatred._

_'' I will return.'' She spoke. The wisps managed to pull her under, and then Sam's head fell back. His vision was failing him, as well as his sight. Everything was blurry._

_Sam was vaguely aware of a voice shouting to him, and a hand that shifted under his head like a pillow. He felt another hand stroking at his face as if to rouse him, but he was unable to do so. His hand slipped away from his stomach to the asphalt as he fell unconscious._


	4. Chapter 4

Sam was still hunched over himself, his hands partially wrapped around himself now instead of resting in his lap. His head was bowed, and Dean could see that he was shaking.

'' Sammy.... I-I don't know what to say.'' Dean mumbled.

'' No one did.'' Sam said. '' Garret was killed by that thing. I would've been dead had Tylor not run off instead of back to me to get help.... That thing... She killed one of my closest friends.'' Sam mumbled, moving further into himself. Dean rested a hand on his back for comfort, but it only caused Sam to flinch away. '' Tylor and I had to lie to the police about what attacked us because we knew they would never believe that a ghost girl attacked us.'' Dean let out a soft chuckle at that.

'' Yeah, that's something that normal people don't see every day.'' Dean mumbled.

'' Yeah.'' Sam sighed, is hands running back through his hair. '' It was while I was in the hospital that I found out that Garret was the one to steal those pages from the book. He used the symbols on the paper, and one of them happened to be a sigil to create a tulpa. Garret was killed by a tulpa, and I sent it away only for it to come back... I didn't finish the job, and now we're paying for it....'' Sam stood from the bed. The walls were crashing in on him, making him feel trapped. '' It was my fault... It was my fault, I didn't stop them. I-''

'' Sam, stop that.'' Dean stood from the bed, grabbing Sam by the shoulders. He spun his brother around to face him, forcing Sam to look at him. '' This wasn't your fault. You didn't know what they were going to do, and you didn't know that this was going to happen.'' Dean said.

'' But I could've stopped it. I could've saved my friend but instead I let him get killed.'' Sam said.

'' There was nothing you could've done Sammy. He was already dead by the time you were hurt.'' Dean said. '' Forget about what happened then. What we can do now is stop this thing for good. Does the website you said your friend made still exist?'' Dean asked, stepping away from Sam.

'' No. Tylor and I made sure the website was taken down after what happened.... But the damage had been done. She told me she was going to return, and I completely ignored it...... If I had just killed her then.''

'' Sam stop that.'' Dean said, grabbing his brothers shoulder again. '' It's not your fault. Focus on what we've got to do now. She's come back like she said she would, so now we're going to stop her before she can kill another person.'' He let go, and Sam turned away from him. '' You understand Sammy?''

'' Yeah.'' Sam shook his head.'' Yeah, I get it.''

'' Good, now help me out, and lets find a way to take care of this.'' Dean said.

'' Right.''

 

\---

 

Two hours into their research, and Sam was sure that he had found something.

'' Dean, you should check this out.'' Sam said, looking over to where Dean was propped up on the bed.

'' What is it?'' Dean asked, walking over to Sam.

'' I think that I found something.'' Sam said, turning the laptop over when Dean stood to check it out. '' It's the legend behind this thing. Now it doesn't say exactly how to kill it, but it does give a close clue as to how it's done.'' He stated.

'' Really.'' Dean lifted the laptop up to take a look for himself. Reading through it, he found just about everything that linked this thing to what Sam had told him about, from the slit mouth to the way that she kills. It wasn't until he reached the end that he found the reason why Sam wanted him to look. While he didn't think this part would help, it did say that the Kuchisake Onna was at one point a person in japan who was killed by her husband when he found her having an affair with another man. He'd caused her to become what she was, and she was said to be haunting japan.... Wait, what was here that could help them again? '' Sammy, I'm not seeing what you're talking about.'' Dean said, looking down to his brother.

'' Dean, she's an angry spirit. We know how to keep her at bay at least.'' Sam said.

'' That's good and all, but I thought you even said this was a tulpa. Remember what happened last time we fought a tulpa?''

'' Trust me, I do.'' Sam said, remembering how in the end they had to burn the house down to get rid of it. There was no way to do that now.

'' Whatever.'' Dean kept reading on, looking for an answer to this problem. That's when he came across what it was that killed her. It says that when she was killed, after the smile was carved into her mouth, that her husband stabbed her multiple times with a kitana blade. Maybe that was their ticket out of this mess. '' Sam, do you know if we've still got the kitana blade in the trunk?'' Dean asked.

'' We should. We never threw it out.'' Sam said.

'' Good. It's out ticket out of here.'' Dean said, setting the laptop back down in front of Sam, He pointed to the passage he'd found that information in. '' Read.'' He said.

'' OK.'' Sam read on, and quickly came across the passage that he was looking for. His eyes grew a little wide, and a smile spread over his face. This could work. They could kill her this way. '' This could work.''

'' Yeah it could.'' Dean said. He let his own smile pop out, but the smile fell soon after when a buzz came from Sam's laptop. Sam was already typing away, looking for the reason. He found it when he pulled up the police scanner he'd left up during their stay here. He was reading over it, and his own grin fell away. His face paled slightly at the sight of it.

'' There's been another attack.'' Sam said.

'' What?'' Dean walked behind Sam, bending down to see the screen. Sure enough, the report read that two more people were attacked, but one of them had managed to survive. '' Damn.'' Dean whispered.

'' We better go check it out.'' Sam said.

'' Yeah.....'' Dean didn't like the idea of Sam going on his own, but they would have to split up on this one. '' Alright. I'll go check out the dead body, you go talk to the one who survived.'' Dean stated. '' Meet back up here.''

'' Right.''

 

\---

 

Dean found the alley where the attack had occurred, and there was crime tape all across the area. The body was still there, laid out under a tarp that was stained with blood. There were police officers going all over the place looking for any evidence they could find. Evidence that Dean knew they'd never find. He stepped under the crime tape, and walked towards the scene. As he went one of the officers turned to face him. He looked a little annoyed at his arrival, and was quickly turning back towards him.

'' If you're here for insurance or something you have to wait.'' The police officer said. '' You and your pals have been breathing down my back all day.''

'' Well you'll be glad to see that I'm not with an insurance company.'' Dean revealed his fake badge, and the officer immediately apologized for what he said. '' I need to know what happened here last night. I think its linked to another case my partner and I are working.'' Dean explained.

'' Well, its a doozy I can tell you that much.'' The officer said, leading Dean towards the body.

'' What happened to him?'' Dean asked, assuming that it was a man.

'' He was attacked here around five this afternoon. Police didn't report until the call came in around ten. There weren't any witnesses to the incident, aside from the women we found with him.'' The officer said.

'' What did she look like?'' Dean asked.

'' Blonde hair and blue eyes. She was injured severely, and was unconscious when we found them.'' He explained. '' I feel terrible for her, she'll bear those scars for the rest of her life.'' He mumbled.

'' How were they attacked exactly?'' Dean asked.

'' The man was cut in half, while she was sliced open. Her cheeks had a smile carved into them, and her stomach was sliced open. As far as we know she's in a stable enough condition at the hospital, but its unclear if she'll ever be rid of those scars.'' He said.

'' A shame..... May I?'' Dean asked, gesturing to the tarp.

'' Go right ahead, they'll be here any minute to lift the body to the morgue.'' The officer said. He heard a shout from behind him, and the officer let out a sigh. '' I better go take care of that. Take all the time you need, but when they get here that body's gone.''

'' Will do.'' The officer walked away, giving Dean a chance to kneel beside the tarp. He carefully lifted it back, and had to lift a hand to his face to hide the grimace that spread over it.

This poor guy was mutilated. Torn in half with blood splattered everywhere. There was also a smile carved onto his face, but this one was less pronounced then the ones on some of the other victims. What struck him the most though was actually his eyes. They were still wide open, revealing the fear that he'd felt at the time of his death. Now they were dead, when at one time they may have been full of life. Dean dropped the tarp back in place, the stench of blood making queasy to his stomach.. This was just sick. They had to find this thing before anybody else got killed.

Dean turned away from the tarp, pulling his cellphone out as he walked back to where he'd left the impala. He fired off a quick message to Sam, letting him know he was on his way, and then dropped into the passenger seat. Maybe Sam got more out of the person than he got from the cops. At least he hoped he had.

 

\---

 

'' She's in there, but I must ask that you make it quick. Her body needs to heal, and we fear that to much stress will only make it worse.''

'' I understand ma'am.'' Sam said to the nurse, flashing a small smile her way before turning into the room. He'd found her room the second he walked in, and had gotten the rundown of what had happened to her.

Apparently she and her boyfriend were attacked while walking home from the movies. Her boyfriend was the one who was killed, and she was sliced up like a butchers toy. No one could believe that she'd survived, but she had. Sam composed himself as quickly as he could, bracing himself for what he knew he was going to see inside there. He couldn't loose it this time. He needed to keep his cool, keep it together until he was back at the motel.

He walked towards the only occupied bed in the room, quickly finding the girl laid out on the bed. Her head was tilted towards him, one of her eyes open against the swelling in her face. She was just as injured as he'd expected, if not worse. Her entire face was covered in bandages, aside from the one eye that was purple and sort of swollen. He couldn't see the padding across her stomach, but he could tell it was there through the way that she was laying on the bed.

'' Who are you?'' She asked, her voice sort of muffled from the bandages around her face. She must've been high on pain meds because she never once winced from the pain talking must've caused.

'' Abigale Ramsey.  I'm agent Ruthford.'' Sam said, flashing his badge.

'' You're here about my boyfriend Brandon aren't you?'' She asked, her voice soft and disappointed in tone.

'' Sadly, yes.'' Sam admitted. '' I need to know what happened to the two of you.'' He explained. Abigale let her one visible eye slide shut, a slow sigh escaping her lips.

''I still can't believe it myself.'' She admitted. '' I never saw her coming. She got to Brandon first, and was attacking me before I hit her with my bag. She seemed confused, but stepped away from me after that. I passed out, so I don't know whether she left or not.'' Abigale said.

'' Could you describe your attacker?'' Sam asked. '' I understand that this could be difficult, but I need to know so my partner and I can find your attacker.'' He added. Abigale looked up at him with a face that screamed that she didn't want to describe it.

'' You'd never believe me if I told you.'' she said. '' You'll just think I'm crazy.''

'' I'm not most people. I'll listen to what ever you have to say.'' Sam said. '' So what did your attacker look like?'' He asked.

'' She...... She was rather short.'' Abigale started, her voice dropping low as emotion filled it. '' She kept asking us a question before she attacked us.... She was asking if we thought she was pretty. With that surgical mask on I thought she was the most gorgeous woman I'd seen, but when she took it off..... I can still see that smile.... She...... She killed Brandon right in front of me. She sliced him in half with one blow, and took her time with me as she c-cut my cheeks. Thank god she didn't go all the way through, but then she stabbed me......'' Abigale sniffed loudly, a tear slipping out of her eye to soak into the bandages. '' Why didn't she kill me?.... Why?'' She sobbed, watching Sam with tear filled eyes.

'' I don't know.'' Sam said. ''' But I promise you, we will find your attacker. We will bring her to justice, you can count on it.''

'' Thank you.'' Abigale said. '' Thank you so much.'' She sobbed.

'' I will find her, I promise you.'' Sam said, turning to leave. As she did he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out to find that he had a message from Dean.

_**Deffinitely our thing. The guy was split in half like two of the other victims. I'm on my way to the hospital now.** _

__Sam already knew this, so he fired off his own message to Dean.

_ I already know. Found out after talking to the girl. _


	5. Chapter 5

'' So she was definitely attacked by this thing?''

'' Yeah, I saw the injuries myself Dean. If it wasn't her, then what cut that smile into her cheek?'' Sam said, looking towards his brother. He was examining the katana blade that was resting on his bed. If the legend was true, and if she was a tulpa, then it should kill her. If it doesn't, then they've got a problem.

'' Was she.... You know.... Sliced up?'' Dean asked, motioning to his mouth.

'' Yeah, but I couldn't see how bad. They had her all bandaged up like she was a mummy.'' Sam explained. '' She was hurt bad though. I could tell.'' He added.

'' So now we know that she's still in this area. It may be our chance to get rid of her.'' Dean said.

'' What's your plan?'' Sam asked.

'' Well, we know that she goes after people who are wandering the streets at night. If that's how she's picking her victims then there may be a specific one that she'll go after.''

'' What do you mean by tha-'' Sam saw the small smile spread across Dean's face, and his own grin fell.'' No.... No, no no. Dean, No. I won't do it, no.'' Sam said.

'' She's already gone after you once Sam. She'll be angry that she couldn't finish the job, and she'll go straight for you.'' Dean said.

'' I'm not doing that. She'll kill me before either of us could get her with the sword.'' Sam said.

'' That's why I'll wait nearby. When we see her coming I'll jump out with the katana and then boom, game over. She'll be dead.'' Dean said. '' It'll work Sam. Trust me.''

'' I don't like it.'' Sam said. '' So many things could go wrong here Dean. And I.... I just don't know if its a good idea.'' Sam said. He stood from where he stood, pacing the room nervously. He ran a hand down his face, his eyes glancing up to the ceiling. He couldn't be asking him to do this. He didn't think he could do it, not now. He just couldn't.

'' Sam?''

'' I can't do it Dean.'' Sam said, looking to his brother. '' I can't put myself in that situation. If one thing goes wrong then....... Then she..... She'll....'' Sam's breath caught in his throat as he sat back on the bed again. He bowed his head, leaning forward to rest his arms on his legs. '' Please, Dean. You can't ask me to do this. I can't face her again, not like that.... I can't.'' Sam whispered. He didn't hear Dean say a word, but he felt the bed dip beside him. Next thing he knew there was a hand on his back.

'' I know its difficult Sammy, but you have to... That thing, what ever she's called, it won't come after me. She's never seen me before, but she has seen you. You're the reason she disappeared in the first place. She's going to be angry at you, and will want to take revenge.'' Dean said, watching Sam stand from the bed. Sam started pacing the room again, his head shaking against every word that Dean said. '' Sam, we have to try. It's got to work.''

'' And what if it doesn't?'' Sam asked, turning on Dean. '' What if it doesn't work, then more people die. If it does work, and she comes after me, what will happen if you can't stop it? Because I know what will happen, I'll be killed.'' Sam said.

'' Sammy, I swear on my life that I won't allow that to happen. I will not let this thing hurt you, you have my word.'' Dean said. Sam looked down to the ground, his hands squeezing into fists.

'' When....... When do we leave?'' Sam mumbled, eyes never meeting Dean.

'' Soon. Get ready, take what ever you think you need, and then we're gone.'' Dean said. Sam nodded, but didn't move an inch. Dean stood from where he was sitting on the bed, walking straight over to Sam. He set a steadying hand on Sam's shoulder, grabbing his attention. '' Sammy, I promise you that this will work.'' Dean said.

'' You better be right, my life's on the line here.'' Sam mumbled, pulling away from Dean to retreat to the bathroom. Dean watched the door shut with a solid thud, and his heart sunk.

'' I know it is.'' Dean whispered.

 

\---

 

Sam wandered the streets as the sun started to set in the sky. To anyone else he may have looked like any normal person taking a stroll, but to Sam it was anything but that. For Sam, he was walking for the simple purpose of being bait, and the thought of it sent shivers down his spine.

That thing was going to come after him if this worked out right, and if Dean wasn't there when it found him then he was going to die. He'd be ripped open, cut up, mutilated, just like all those other people. Just like is friend. Garret. His legs felt shaky as he walked, making him want to just sit down and wait for this thing to show its ugly face. He couldn't do that, and he knew it. He had to keep moving if he wanted her to find him, or if he wanted to find her. However, his legs kept shaking more and more at the thought of what could happen if this went bad. In the end he had to find a place to sit, just for a minute or two.

There was an empty bench nearby, which Sam quickly fell into before his legs could give out from under him.

He ran a hand down his face, wiping away the sweat that had broken out over his brow. It was a cold sweat, revealing just how shaken up he was about this whole situation. He could die, and this thing could go free and keep killing no matter what he did. Sam's thoughts wandered for longer then he'd meant for them to, letting them back to the first time he was attacked. When he'd been stabbed, and Garret mutilated. Could this happen to him again? Would that be the way he went, or would he be split in half with a smile carved onto his cheeks like the other victims?

He was pulled from his thoughts by his cellphone ringing in his pocket.

He jumped at the sound of the ringing, but quickly convinced himself that it was just his phone. He quickly answered it, and heard Dean's voice on the other side.

_'' Not looking to good there Sam. You alright?''_

'' How do you think I'm doing when I'm playing bait for something that's going to kill me?'' Sam answered. '' Where the hell are you anyway?'' Sam asked.

_'' Look to your right.''_

Sam glanced around for a second, and quickly caught sight of the impala further down the road. Dean was standing beside it, the drivers door open for him to jump back inside when Sam continued his walk.

_'' I've been close behind you little brother. That things not getting past me.''_

'' It better not.'' Sam said, looking away. '' This entire things giving me chills. I don't like it.''

_'' Hang in there Sam. It'll be over soon. Now get walking again, we've got to find this thing.''_

'' Alright.'' Sam said, standing from the bench. His legs weren't as wobbly as they were, but they still felt unsteady. He hung up, slipping the phone back into his jacket as he turned back down the road. He trusted Dean to be close behind, following in the impala like he said he would.

The sun was fully set by now, leaving Sam with the light of the street lamps to guide his way. He could see just fine, his eyes used to seeing in the dark after all these years of hunting. It did unnerve him though, because it would also mean that the Kuchiaki onna would be out here somewhere. She would come for him soon, it was only a matter of time. Sam came to the end of the road, taking a turn to follow the sidewalk towards an old convenience store about two blocks ahead. His eyes scanned everything around him, searching for any sign of the slit mouth woman. He couldn't see anybody, which made him feel both relieved, but also worried.

'' Where the heck are you?'' Sam mumbled, looking around himself again. As he did so, he found a figure turn out from the corner he'd just passed. He could tell it was a female with black hair, and she was following him. Anxiety spiked inside of Sam, and his pace picked up as he walked down the street. She'd found him, he just knew it. It was only a matter of time until she reached him. He seriously hoped that Dean was still following him. So he looked back to check, and he found that the impala was no longer there. Where had Dean gone off to? Sam's panic spiked again, and he ducked to the side to step off the street for a second. He made sure that he was out of sight of the thing following him, pressing his back into the wall as he let his eyes slide shut.

A shaky breath came out of his chest as his legs threatened to give out. This couldn't be happening. He'd been found, Dean was nowhere to be seen, and the lady was after him.

'' This cant' be happening. This can't be happening.'' Sam muttered, his voice catching in his throat. He listened closely for any footsteps to indicate her getting closer, but was unable to hear them. Thinking that she may have been a normal person, and had just walked off, Sam let out a sigh of relief. He opened his eyes again, and was shocked to find her standing right before him.

Sam jumped back, pressing his back against the wall as his hands dug for the blade hidden inside his jacket.

'' Am I pretty?'' She asked in that cynical voice. Sam stuttered out a breath as he pulled out the blade.

'' I guess not then.'' She said, pulling at the surgical mask. It fell away from her face, revealing the jagged cut smile in her cheeks. She held up the knife, holding it high to bring down on Sam's chest. '' Goodbye.'' She whispered. Sam let off a startled scream, falling to the side as she yelled. The knife struck the brick where Sam had just been standing, and he watched from where he'd landed on the ground as she looked down to him.

'' There's no escape.'' She said, bringing the blade down again. '' You will die. Just like before.'' She seethed. She held the blade up again as Sam began to push back against the ground. The blade crashed towards him, and he screamed out as the blade came closer.

He was going to die, and Dean wouldn't even know.

At least he thought so, because the next thing he knew there was a shout.

'' SAM, GET BACK!''


	6. Chapter 6

'' SAM, GET DOWN!'' Dean yelled. He saw the glint of a blade just past the slit mouth woman's waving hair. Sam dove to the side, pushing himself against the wall as he watched for Dean's next move. The slit mouth woman tried to follow Sam, her knife held out to strike him, but she was distracted from her target when Dean brought the blade down against her back. The blade cut into her back, slicing her open as she stuttered where she stood.

The lady spun around to face him, her eyes flaring with anger. She held the knife up to attack him, but Dean countered with the katana blade. He glanced down to Sam, who was just watching from where he'd fallen against the wall. His eyes were wide, and full of panic as he watched his own brother face off against the very thing that terrified him.

'' Sammy, run!'' Dean yelled, pushing the lady back. Sam managed to get the message, and forced himself up to his feet. He began to run down the alleyway he'd ducked into, but the slit mouth woman caught on. She quickly turned to follow him, and ran after her original target. '' Oh no you don't! Get back here you BITCH!'' Dean yelled. He ran after her, watching as she followed Sam. For a split second he saw Sam glance back to him, his eyes full of fear when he realized that he was being followed by the lady. He turned around quickly, and kept running as fast as he could. The slit mouth woman was gaining on Sam, getting closer by the minute, and Dean couldn't slow her down. There had to be something that he could do to slow her down.

He saw Sam turn one more time to see him, but then his eyes grew wide. The next thing Dean knew his brother was pitching forward to the ground, falling hard as he rolled to try and lessen the impact. He stopped on his side, eyes quickly finding the attacker who was almost on top of him again.

'' NO!'' Dean watched as the slit mouth woman stooped over Sam, grabbing a handful of his hair to pull his head back. She placed the blade at his throat, and appeared to be whispering something to him that he was unable to hear. What Dean couldn't hear though, Sam could hear perfectly.

'' You're the reason I came back. After what you did to me, I wanted my revenge. And now, I'm going to take it.''

'' No!'' Sam tried to pull away, but it was no use. She had him in her hands, and there was no escape. She pressed the knife into his chest, slowly pushing it further in. Sam screamed out, feeling blood slip down his chest.

'' Die.'' She said. Before she could push it any further, she flinched. Her grip on his hair lightened, and he was able to pull away. However, she was not done with her attack. She quickly brought the blade out to strike him again, but Sam grabbed the knife by the blade, and held on tight. The pain was excruciating, making him hurt worse then he'd ever known. But he powered through it, holding her in place as best he could. If he could, then Dean would be able to strike her down.

'' No, you'll die.'' Dean said, venom in his voice. Sam watched as he plunged the katana forward, and it struck its mark in the slit mouth woman's chest. She stuttered, her hands loosing their grip on the blade. The slit mouth woman's mouth fell open in a silent scream, and her body began to stutter in and out. Dean realized that it was taking to long for him to kill her, and quickly pulled the blade free to strike her heart again. He did so, and the second time he did it her body finally began to disappear. Her body became translucent, and her mouth finally closed as her wounds seemed to heal. She gave her own genuine smile, her eyes meeting Sam's.

'' Thank you.'' She spoke, and then she disappeared. The katana fell to the ground, clattering off the concrete as it fell still.

Sam's eyes drifted up from where the katana had fallen to find Dean watching him, his own eyes filled with shock.

'' It worked.'' Sam whispered, his throat still closed off no matter how much convincing he gave himself.

'' Yeah.'' Dean said. '' God, Sammy, your hand.'' Dean knelt down at Sam's side, taking the injured appendage into his hands. he was still gripping the blade tightly in his hand. Dean coaxed the hand open, blood flowing out as the crimson colored blade clattered to the ground. Blood was flowing like a river out of it, splattering off the ground beneath him. He forced the hand open, causing Sam to hiss in pain. The cuts were really deep, showing what he believed to be muscle when he pulled one of them open. Sam would need extensive stitches to help that.

'' How bad?'' Sam asked, breathing hard through the pain. This was nothing compared to the hole in his chest. That was already scabbing over even though it was also pretty deep.

'' Pretty bad, but I think I can stitch it up.'' Dean said. He looked up to Sam, finding his face. He was still shaken up, but he was sure that he would be OK.'' Come on Sammy, let's get out of here.'' Dean said.

'' Right.'' Dean helped to lift Sam up to his feet, realizing quickly that Sam was still unsteady on his feet. He wrapped an arm around him, throwing one of his over his shoulder to keep him steady.

'' It's alright Sammy, I've got you. It's alright.'' Dean said. He led Sam back to the impala, and drove away from that alleyway.

The kuchisaki onna was dead, and could rest in peace.

 

\---

 

'' Hold still. I'm almost done.'' Dean said, putting the last few stitches in Sam's skin. Sam wasn't even watching, quickly becoming squeamish at watching Dean squeeze the skin together to put in the stitches. He wasn't normally squeamish, but after the night he'd had he was rather squeamish at just about everything. His anxiety had been through the roof before, but when Dean had forced the knife out of his hand he had managed to bring it under control.

He was in the middle of what they called an adrenaline crash, all that energy from before made true because of his anxiety. Now that it was gone he was starting to realize how tired he was, and how much pain he was really in.

'' Hang on Sam. I'm almost done, but this is going to sting. Brace yourself.'' Dean warned, setting the needle down. Sam looked back to Dean, his eyes quickly finding his blood covered hand. He may have been stitched up, but his skin was still soaked with his own blood that was starting to dry on. He saw Dean tip over a whiskey bottle, and the liquid poured over his hand. He hissed in pain, the cuts burning like they were on fire. He tried to pull his hand back, but he couldn't do it. Dean held his hand in place, and when he was done pouring the whiskey over it he pressed a towel to his hand.

'' Alright Sammy. We've got to wash off the blood, and then I can wrap it.'' Dean explained.

'' Alright.'' Sam stood from the edge of the bed. Dean had him hold the towel against it, telling him to keep pressure on the hand until he had the water running warm. When he knew it to be OK to wash it, he lowered Sam's hand into it. It almost hurt worse than the whiskey had. Sam forced himself to keep his hand under the water while Dean carefully scrubbed at the wounds. The pain was almost distant to him, for his thoughts were elsewhere as he tried to forget what had happened to him. He was so out of it that he didn't even realize that Dean was done with his triage. His hand had been washed off, and wrapped as best Dean could get it.

'' Sammy, you still with me?'' Dean asked, waving a hand in front of Sam's face. Sam didn't answer him, his eyes locked on something that Dean was unable to see. He tried snapping his fingers before Sam's face, but that didn't work either. Worried that Sam may be trapped inside his own head, he quietly lead Sam back to the beds. He had him sit back, and he knelt before him to see if he could get to Sam through what ever he was seeing.'' Sammy, can you hear me?'' Dean asked, shaking his shoulder. Sam didn't register what he said, but he lifted his head. Dean caught his eyes, and saw that they were distant. '' Sammy, say something.'' Dean begged, watching for any response. Sam finally seemed to register that Dean was talking to him.

'' I can't.'' Sam mumbled.

'' You can't what Sam? You're scaring me.'' Dean said, resting a hand on his shoulder. '' What's the matter Sammy?''

'' I can't believe that she's dead..... She's finally gone...... I don't have to be afraid anymore.'' Sam mumbled. Dean caught on quickly about what he was talking about. He let a worried sigh out of his lungs, a small laugh of relief escaping.

'' Yeah, Sammy. She's gone. You're safe now. There's no need to be afraid.'' Dean said. He sat beside Sam on the bed, one of his hands coming up to rest on his neck. He gave a light squeeze as Sam leaned forward. He let out a shaky breath.

'' Garret's death wasn't for nothing. We finally stopped the thing that killed him.'' Sam mumbled.

'' Yep. We sure did.'' Dean said. He knew that Sam would be a little out of it for the next day or so, but he was going to be ok in the end. It was only a matter of time. For now he was going to deal with it, and help pull Sam through this. That's what big brothers are for anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its over. Thanks for reading my story, and if you liked it leave a kudos or a comment.


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